UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks sent this message to the campus community on Sunday (Dec. 7):

In the wake of last night’s events in the city of Berkeley, we are calling on the members of our campus community to help maintain calm on and around the campus.

While the details of what led to the unfortunate confrontations between some groups of protestors and police officers remain unclear, we offer our sympathy to all who may have been injured or had property damaged.

We fully understand that there are many in our community, and across the country, who are deeply distressed about recent decisions in New York and Ferguson, and fully support their right to give voice to their concerns and frustration. At the same time, we hope that the anger expressed last night will, in the days ahead, be channeled into constructive, non-violent action and advocacy that can advance the ongoing fight for justice and equity in our nation.